Paint by Dot: LightSea

Wonderfully Made

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  (Psalm 139:13-14 NIV).

Because of the intricate detail and delicate care that our Father has invested in creating each one of us, no two people are alike.  You and I are each unique.  His craftsmanship in making us has resulted in someone whom He considers “wonderful” just because we’re His handiwork.

May your heart and mind be encouraged through a growing knowledge of just how wonderful you are in our Father’s sight.

Greeting Card Design: BDAY-LightSea – Wonderfully Made – click here to view in the Kat Kreations online katalog

Garden Views: TUB

Cleansed

“…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV)

A friend, who had visited Israel, shared that their Jewish guide had shared insight with their group from the Hebrew scriptures. The lady told them that when things were mentioned in threes in the scriptures, it held a meaning of being bound, sealed, or confirmed. This verse in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians uses a threesome to help us see what He confirms in our lives when we choose to follow Jesus.

• Washed. Our sins are washed away by the flow of His blood on the cross in our place.
• Sanctified. We are set apart for His special use in building His kingdom and pointing others toward a personal relationship with Him.
• Justified. He pronounces us “not guilty” of our sins, because of the sacrifice He made for us on the cross.

Through this set of three actions, the Lord makes us new. He makes it possible for us to leave our past behind and walk forward renewed, restored, and refined.

The Garden Views line includes cards with photos of uncommon garden pieces. View the greeting cards by clicking here.

Garden Views: MAILBOX

Writing on His Hand

“…I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; … you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:15-16, 23 NIV)

The hands that made all of creation bear your name, O follower of the Lord! Sure, it’s fun to get a personal hand-written letter and even a personal email or instant message. Still, imagine how ultimately personal it is to know that the God of all Creation considers you so valuable that He says He has engraved your name on His hands. Amazing, extraordinary love, it is!

In another part of His Word, He leaves us another message about something He wrote: “…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31 NIV). Our amazing Lord left us an ages-old love letter that He wove together through many hundreds of years and a number of author’s pens! He compiled such an intricate and connected work, so that He could let us know that He longs to spend eternity with us.

May you continually find the inbox of your heart the recipient of messages that remind you of His wondrous love for you!

The Garden Views line includes cards with photos of uncommon garden pieces. View the greeting cards by clicking here.

Garden Views: BED

Rest

At the end of a horrendous day, you finally get to settle into your bedroom and collapse onto your awaiting bed. Your head hits the pillow and you breathe a sigh of relief at finally reaching the end of that day.

In Psalm 116, the psalmist writes about one of his most terrible times. Near the middle of his song, he reminds himself, “Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you” (Psalm 116:7 NIV).

The Psalms were originally written in Hebrew and the Hebrew word for “rest” used in this verse carried the meaning of “a resting place; the home of a person or the lair of an animal with the focus that this is a place of rest, satisfaction, and contentment; home” (Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance).

No matter what’s going on in a given day or what time of day it is, our resting place is available to us. We can collapse into the arms of our Father God and regain a rest in the midst of chaos. We can find satisfaction amidst a world always reaching for more. We can experience contentment in the continual presence of the One who meets every single one of our needs. His rest can be the home of our entire being.

The Garden Views line includes cards with photos of uncommon garden pieces. View the greeting cards by clicking here.

Garden Views: BOOT

Value

Something cast off by one person can become something valued by another. A thing that’s become useless to one perspective can be seen as useful from another’s vantage point.

When our Father God looks at each of us, He never sees something or someone to toss away. He sees a vessel that He can use for His purposes no matter what anyone else in creation says or thinks.

That’s you and me. We’re valuable. We’re not trash. We have a purpose that transcends our imagination most days. The Creator of the universe says so and that makes it so, since He’s in charge of all things.

Enjoy basking in your value today! Your Father considers you priceless!

The Garden Views line includes cards with photos of uncommon garden pieces. View the greeting cards by clicking here.

Garden Views: CHAIR

The Prayer Chair

Some have a chair, some a couch; some choose a vehicle; some a silent nook. What’s your place like where you go to meet with the Lord? Have you ever sought that special place that’s all yours and His?

Imagine a spot where you regularly go to meet alone with your Father God … a place where you can express your adoration of Him … where you have the opportunity to confess what has been outside His will in your life because of your choices … where you can freely convey your thanks to Him for all He’s done or provided you … where you can seek His supply of every need you could ever have.

What did you see? Where did you imagine? Your Father longs to visit with you each day. Will you find that place to stop in your day, meet Him there, and give Him your full attention? … He’ll be waiting.

The Garden Views line includes cards with photos of uncommon garden pieces.  View the greeting cards by clicking here.

Garden Views: STOOL

Mercy Comes in Different Ways–Not Always OUR Way

‘Ever have “one of those days”? … when the stuff of life goes way out of control? … when one happening after another keeps you hoping for a break?

Some have defined “mercy” as “not getting what we deserve.” Many times, whether we notice or acknowledge it, the Lord works in our lives in ways which keep certain things from happening, so that we don’t have to experience them. Who knows?! He may do it so often that we are completely unaware of what has missed us or what we haven’t had to endure!

Then, there are those times when we long for something to end or to not happen, but He allows it anyway. He withholds His mercy. We can often think of Him as mean, uncaring, or even inattentive. However, when the situation or season comes to fruition, how many times have we been able to look back and see that God’s very best for us was to go through the experience with us, instead of prevent us from going through it?

In our finite vision of life, we can’t possibly see all the variables in our situations. Thankfully, our faithful Father sees the big picture AND He has our ultimate best in mind. He is always faithful and more than able to take care of ANYthing that comes our way … even on days that are far from “normal”!

Photo taken of a garden creation designed by J. Will.  The Garden Views line includes cards with photos of uncommon garden pieces.  View the greeting cards by clicking here.